


without the dark, we'd never see the stars

by jcp_sob_rjl_lmep



Series: i know what you are (say it. say it out loud) [1]
Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Bruce Wayne is a Good Parent, Gen, Pack Family, implied past Alfred/Martha/Thomas
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-17
Updated: 2020-11-17
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:27:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,719
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27608978
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jcp_sob_rjl_lmep/pseuds/jcp_sob_rjl_lmep
Summary: For the first time, Alfred had all of his Pack together on a full moon. It was a special night, as well - it had finally come time for Jason’s Turning.Traditionally in the Wayne Pack, pups were Turned on the full moon after their 16th birthday. If they didn’t wish to be weres, no one forced them, but all of Bruce’s children so far had enthusiastically agreed to being Turned.But Jason had died before he reached that night.So it was a different setting than Alfred had once planned - Jason had four younger siblings, now, and wouldn’t be the fourth wolf of their pack, but the sixth.
Relationships: Jason Todd & Alfred Pennyworth, Jason Todd & Bruce Wayne
Series: i know what you are (say it. say it out loud) [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2018582
Comments: 20
Kudos: 141





	without the dark, we'd never see the stars

**Author's Note:**

> This is a werewolf fic, as such there is the usage of the title Alpha Wayne (used in relation to Alfred, who is patriarch of the Wayne Pack). THIS IS NOT A/B/O. It's just a title. Enjoy the story!

For the first time, Alfred had all of his Pack together on a full moon. It was a special night, as well - it had finally come time for Jason’s Turning.

Traditionally in the Wayne Pack, pups were Turned on the full moon after their 16th birthday. If they didn’t wish to be weres, no one forced them, but all of Bruce’s children so far had enthusiastically agreed to being Turned.

But Jason had died before he reached that night.

So it was a different setting than Alfred had once planned - Jason had four younger siblings, now, and wouldn’t be the fourth wolf of their pack, but the sixth.

Timothy was very much looking forward to being bigger than his tallest brother, if only for a little while.

The children were arranged in a circle around him; Dick at his back, then Cassandra, Timothy, Duke, and Damian beside his eldest brother. A gap was left directly in front of Alfred, between Cassandra and Tim. This was where Bruce approached, escorting Jason.

“Alpha Wayne,” Bruce began the ceremony. It was time; the full moon was reaching its height, and Alfred could feel the itch to Turn. “I bring before you a Child of the Pack ready to be Turned.”

Alfred inclined his head towards Jason, who stepped into the circle alone. Everyone shuffled to close it, Cassandra and Dick shifting towards Tim as Bruce took Dick’s former spot. “Do you consent to being Turned, Child of the Pack?”

Jason took a deep breath. “I give my consent to be Turned and take my place as a full member of the Pack, Alpha Wayne.”

With consent given, there were no more ceremonial words to be spoken; Jason knelt in front of Alfred, bowing his head and exposing the nape of his neck. Every Pack had their own place on the body that was traditionally the Turning point; Waynes had always chosen the back of the neck, which was convenient for Alfred both when he needed to scold them or when he was giving comfort.

As the moon reached her peak, Alfred closed his teeth around his grandson’s neck, Turning as he did. It left him standing on four paws, holding a newly Turned cub by the scruff of his fur, four wolves and two humans still in a circle around them.

Gently, he lowered Jason to the ground between his paws, giving the wobbly cub pillars of support as he raised his snout to the moon and howled. His pack joined in, even little Jason, who tilted his head so far back that he tumbled over, causing a spike of amusement to travel through Alfred’s contentment. Duke and Damian, the two remaining children not old enough to be Turned, also joined in, as they always did, and as their siblings had before them. It reminded him of raising Bruce, who had also joined in with his small human lungs before he reached Turning age.

For reasons that no scientist had ever been able to parse, upon being Turned for the first time, one always turned into a baby animal; wolves, in the Wayne Pack, though there were many other Were species. As time passed, your Were form would grow, even when your human body was done maturing. Timothy, of all of them, was most excited about that fact; Alfred often had to bribe him when he needed him to be human for a while.

This meant that Jason, whilst being older than Cassandra and Tim, was, at the moment, a puppy compared to their hulking forms. He seemed to have noticed it as well, huddling against Alfred’s leg and pouting.

Alfred leaned down, nudging at the cub and licking flat the hair between his ears. Finally, as the adrenaline began to pulse in his veins, he scruffed the cub again, lifting his head to see that Duke and Damian were secure and ready on their father’s back.

With the smallest members of the Pack accounted for, they began to run, heading into the forest, down the familiar paths.

Alfred had once run these paths with Thomas and Martha, Bruce’s small hands holding onto his scruff as a little voice howled from his back. Now he ran them with Bruce at his side, Bruce’s own children around them. As it did every full moon, his heart ached for a moment, wishing they were still here with him.

But by the time they reached their usual rest clearing, his attention was focused on the newest Were of the pack. Alfred settled on the ground, his back to a tree, Duke and Damian making themselves comfortable on top of him. He set Jason down, leaving the cub to explore the clearing and his new paws, meaning that he mostly stumbled around as if he were drunk. Their siblings were already back out in the forest, and Alfred could hear them chasing each other, breaking branches and roughhousing. Bruce padded over, rubbing his head first on Damian, then Duke; both boys laughed as his sheer size jostled them, patting at his black fur. He licked Alfred’s cheek, then turned for a moment to his new cub, lowering himself completely to the ground to look at Jason. The cub turned, nearly overbalancing, and Bruce’s paw shot out to steady him; Jason yipped and swiped at his father’s snout, tipping himself over. Bruce huffed in amusement, pinning Jason with the same paw and licking his fur for a moment until he finally brought Jason back over to Alfred and ran out of the clearing to tumble around with his other children.

Jason was content to wander the clearing, digging at the ground for worms until one popped out and startled him, making him jump back with a yelp and tumble head over heels into the tree behind him. He sat up promptly, shaking his head and stomping off again. Occasionally, things startled him enough that he ran back to Alfred for safety, such as a very large beetle, or the firefly that winked into light directly in front of him.

Eventually, he tired, trotting back over to Alfred, but their size difference was so great that Duke had to slide to the ground and hand Jason to Damian, allowing the cub to burrow into his fur and doze. They remained there until the rest of the Pack trooped back into the clearing. Bruce padded over, flopping to the ground with his head close to Alfred’s, and Alfred took the opportunity, leaning over and licking at the stubborn tuft of fur that had been sticking up since he was first Turned all those years ago. Dick laid down as well; his wrist had been sprained on patrol the night before, so he had a slight limp that was already beginning to heal. He huffed tiredly as he tucked his snout under Bruce’s, who let out a contented chirp to have his son close.

Tim and Cass came to a stop in front of Alfred, sitting on their haunches and staring at their siblings. Jason gave a small series of curious chirps, finally leaping down from Alfred’s fur and sniffing at his younger siblings. Apparently, that was what they had been waiting for, as they began a game of chasing Jason around the clearing. Alfred kept a sharp eye on them, letting out warning growls when Jason’s cries became distressed. Eventually, Dick got up as well, playing with them, but he was more likely to push Tim and Cass away from Jason than to torment him like they were. Finally, Jason made his escape, scurrying over to Alfred and hiding under his muzzle; when Alfred lowered his snout to the ground, he was able to hide the cub entirely.

Duke and Damian made their way over to Tim and Cass, entertaining themselves with their currently large siblings, while Dick followed Jason over to Alfred. When Alfred refused to let Dick nose at his younger brother, Dick whined, flopping down on top of Alfred and pouting.

The night passed. Eventually, the four youngest members of the family got tired and wandered back to their father, who huffed as they all found places to flop down on him, stretching his neck to rub his snout against each individual child. Finally, the moon disappeared beneath the horizon line, leaving them all free to change back.

As usual, Duke clambered onto Tim’s back, and Damian onto Cass, leaving the wolves to race back as they always did. Bruce stood to nudge Dick awake, but his oldest merely woke long enough to shift back and climb onto his back, gripping black fur as he dozed back off. Alfred stood, scruffing Jason, and they padded back sedately, careful with their tired boys.

By the time they reached the Manor once more, Tim was waiting for them, wearing one of Bruce’s hoodies and holding another. He left the one in his hands on a patio chair, waiting for Dick to slide down so that he could act as support for his oldest brother when they trudged inside. As they walked through the door, Bruce Turned back, sliding on the hoodie and taking the cub from Alfred’s grasp.

“Shhh, Jay,” He murmured, letting the cub squirm and disappear inside the warmth of the hoodie. For a moment, a small snout stuck out of the neck hole beside Bruce’s head; Jason licked his father’s cheek and disappeared back into the soft depths.

The first Turn was the one that Bruce anticipated the most with all of his children; Jason would be unable to Turn back until his second full moon. They had nearly a month of puppy antics to look forward to, and Bruce always loved that particular stage of their growth.

Alfred Turned back last, as usual, and Bruce bent his head, pressing their foreheads together. Alfred’s hand moved up to rest over the bite that he had marked on his son’s neck all those years ago, and for a moment, they breathed together, surrounding the newest cub of their Pack.

“The Pack lives, Alpha Wayne,” Bruce said formally, giving Alfred a smile.

The bite on Alfred’s own neck warmed; for a moment, Thomas and Martha stood beside him again, watching over their son and grandchildren. They gave him strength as they always had.

“As it always will.”

**Author's Note:**

> You read that right! I've begun another series. I couldn't help it, I just have more ideas for this universe.  
> It's 2020 and we all deserve some good Twilight references, so there you go.  
> If you have any questions about the worldbuilding, feel free to comment below!  
> Downloads are fine but please don't post this anywhere else without my permission.  
> Feel free to come catch me on [tumblr](https://iwillstaywiththemforever.tumblr.com).  
> This fills the Werewolf square on my Batman Bingo 2020 card and gives me my first bingo!!! To see the full card, link is on the series page.  
> Love you all and I will see you later!


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